Tom Whitehead
Emily Whitehead Foundation, United States
Co-founder and President
Emily’s parents, Tom and Kari, were not willing to give up. They heard about an experimental treatment, called CAR T-cell therapy, that was available as a Phase I clinical trial at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In April 2012, they enrolled Emily in the clinical trial, and she was the first pediatric patient in the world to receive CAR T-cell therapy. The process involved collecting her T-cells (a type of white blood cell), genetically reprogramming them to recognize and attack cancer cells, and infusing the modified cells back into Emily’s blood. The treatment was highly experimental, but it was Emily’s only chance for a cure. Incredibly, the T-cell therapy worked, and Emily has remained cancer-free.
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